Mon. 06/23 – Tesla Launches Its Robotaxi
Tesla launches its robotaxi service in Austin. Apple is negotiating desperately to avoid an EU fine coming as soon as this week. Also, why doesn’t Apple do some acquihires to get back in the AI game? Maybe Perplexity would be attractive? The Music industry gathers tools to detect AI. And is there a global divide growing when it comes to AI access? Sponsors: 1Password.com/ride Links: Tesla launches robotaxi service in Austin (Financial Times) Jony Ive Deal Removed From OpenAI Site Over Trademark Suit (Bloomberg) Apple locked in last-minute App Store negotiations to avoid Brussels fines (Financial Times) Apple Will Need to Leave Its M&A Comfort Zone to Succeed in AI (Bloomberg) Apple Executives Have Held Internal Talks About Buying AI Startup Perplexity (Bloomberg) The music industry is building the tech to hunt down AI songs (The Verge) The Global A.I. Divide (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
23 Juni 16min
Fri. 06/20 – A Shenzhen-like Production City In The US?
Meta has some new smartglasses. How long can the TikTok groundhog day go on? Masa Son wants to create a Shenzhen-like production city here in the US. Are your smart cameras a national security threat to the home front in a war? And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: Factor75.com/ride Links: Meta announces Oakley smart glasses (The Verge) Meta tried to buy Ilya Sutskever’s $32 billion AI startup, but is now planning to hire its CEO (CNBC) Trump extends TikTok ban deadline for a third time, without clear legal basis (AP) Publishers facing existential threat from AI, Cloudflare CEO says (Axios) Masa Son Pitches $1 Trillion US AI Hub to TSMC, Trump Team (Bloomberg) Israeli Officials Warn Iran Is Hijacking Security Cameras to Spy (Bloomberg) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Scientists once hoarded pre-nuclear steel; now we’re hoarding pre-AI content (ArsTechnica) Why Everything in the Universe Turns More Complex (QuantaMagazine) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
20 Juni 17min
Thu. 06/19 – What Would AGI Actually Look Like?
Are we about to see a summer of layoffs in Silicon Valley? Midjourney’s new video model. Meta continues its acqu-hire spree with some folks we know. Microsoft has its own nuclear option with OpenAI, while OpenAI is starting to get worried about its models being nuclear dangerous? And what even IS AGI? Sponsors: CornbreadHemp.com/ride and code RIDE Links: Microsoft Planning Thousands More Job Cuts Aimed at Salespeople (Bloomberg) ‘Surpassing all my expectations’: Midjourney releases first AI video model amid Disney, Universal lawsuit (VentureBeat) Meta in Talks to Hire AI Investors Friedman and Gross, Partially Buy Out Their Venture Fund (The Information) Microsoft prepared to walk away from high-stakes OpenAI talks (FT) OpenAI warns models with higher bioweapons risk are imminent (Axios) Why Big Tech cannot agree on artificial general intelligence (FT) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
19 Juni 16min
Wed. 06/18 – Oh Yeah. What About TikTok?
Remember how that TikTok ban or sale thing has never been resolved? Yeah. Sam Altman describes the money he says Meta is throwing at AI researchers. Is xAI the one with the real money crunch in the AI race? And a review of the first of this new wave of smartglasses. Sponsors: Quince.com/ridehome Links: Trump will grant TikTok another 90-day extension in enforcement of sale-or-ban law (CNNBusiness) Sam Altman says Meta tried and failed to poach OpenAI’s talent with $100M offers (TechCrunch) Musk’s xAI Burns Through $1 Billion a Month as Costs Pile Up (Bloomberg) YouTube to Add Google’s Veo 3 to Shorts in Move That Could Turbocharge AI on the Video Platform (The Hollywood Reporter) Amazon expects to cut corporate jobs as it relies more on AI (NBCNews) Xreal’s One Pro Are a Stopgap Ahead of True AR Smart Glasses (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
18 Juni 16min
Tue. 06/17 – Open AI Still Needs To Placate Microsoft
Among the many snags to OpenAI shifting to for-profit, the Microsoft snag is still the biggest issue. More Intel job cuts coming. Would you believe a Roblox game involving gardening is maybe bigger than Fortnite? And two big firsts: most people get their news from social media, and streaming is now the king of all TV watching. Sponsors: MackWeldon.com promocode BRIAN Links: OpenAI Seeks New Financial Concessions From Microsoft, a Top Shareholder (The Information) OpenAI and Microsoft Tensions Are Reaching a Boiling Point (WSJ) OpenAI wins $200 million U.S. defense contract (CNBC) Intel will lay off 15% to 20% of its factory workers, memo says (The Oregonian) Amazon Prime Day stretches to four days of deals this year (The Verge) Generation Alpha’s FarmVille Is Growing Like Crazy in Roblox (NYTimes) For the first time, social media overtakes TV as Americans’ top news source (NiemanLab) It’s Official: Streaming Is Now the King of TV (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
17 Juni 19min
Mon. 06/16 – What Happens When Search Abandons The Web?
Ads finally come to WhatsApp. Are we about to get a literal Trump phone? More ads on your TV. All ads are about to become AI. And at the end of the show, a bit of an essay from me about Google, AI, and what I think is about to happen to the larger web, literally right now. Sponsors: AGNTCY.ORG QualiaLife.com/ride and code ride Links: WhatsApp Introduces Ads in Its App (NYTimes) Trump Mobile: President’s Company Unveils Wireless Service Delivered via AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, Plans to Launch a U.S.-Made ‘Sleek, Gold’ Android Smartphone (Variety) Amazon Ads & Roku Set Landmark Pact Giving Brands Access To 80% Of Connected-TV Households (Deadline) TikTok Pushes Deeper Into AI-Generated Video Ads With New Tools (Bloomberg) Google Search Is Fading. The Whole Internet Is At Risk. (Barron's) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
16 Juni 16min
Omnibus 06/09
Omnibus Week Of 06/09 Sign up for the ad-free feed at tech.supercast.tech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
14 Juni 1h 24min
Fri. 06/13 – Stablecoins Everywhere
Do people know when they’re using the MetaAI app, it’s public? Chime had a successful IPO so let me tell you about my IPO-meter. The financials behind that fully-AI commercial running during the NBA playoffs. More signs stablecoins are taking over, but in the Longreads, do stablecoins represent a unique danger to the global financial system? Sponsors: FactorMeals.com/ride50off and code ride50off For a limited time only, get 35% off plus an additional 50% off your first order when you head to Smalls.com and use code RIDE Links: The Meta AI app is a privacy disaster (TechCrunch) Meta Risks Regulatory Scrutiny in Pursuit of Scale AI (Bloomberg) Apple Targets Spring 2026 for Release of Delayed Siri AI Upgrade (Bloomberg) Chime pops 37% in Nasdaq debut after pricing IPO above expected range (CNBC) Walmart and Amazon Are Exploring Issuing Their Own Stablecoins (WSJ) Here’s the $2,000 fully AI-generated ad that aired during the NBA Finals (The Verge) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Why we should worry about the rise of stablecoins (FT) Nintendo Switch 2 review: bigger, faster, and the best handheld since Game Boy (The Shortcut) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
13 Juni 18min
